Brussels, Amsterdam & Cologne

We left Madrid, and flew into Brussels. We arrived in the evening, so were just in time to sample a couple of Belgium’s 450 beers available. There were so many great ones to choose from green, brown, raspberry, chocolate, white, and limbic. We met a Brit at the hostel and took him along for beers. He informed us that Vancouver was his next destination and we eagerly filled him in!

We began our journey in Brussels with a walk to Manekin pis, the official mascot of Belgium. It is a tiny statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. They are quite proud, it truly reflects this adorable, quirky city! The day was dreary and rainy, so we decided to check out the comic book museum first. What a good choice that was as we became quite acquainted again with the famous Belgian comics like Tintin and "Boule and Bill" and “Smurfs” that we used to read in school. It was really neat seeing how comic strips came to life with many original drafts that were lent to the museum. You can also go on a walking tour around Brussels where comic strips are painted on the side of buildings. Such a fun city! Still being in kid mode, we made our way to the Toy museum not far away. We had lots of fun looking at all the old toys, ships, tanks, tractors, etc before buying a few souvenirs that reminded us of our childhood. We decided that we could not pass through Belgium without trying one of their famous waffles. So, we each got one with whipped cream and raspberry/chocolate sauce. What a treat! We tried to enjoy our waffles, while many gypsy women came and asked for money. There are so many here. None of them seemed to be starving looking, which wasn't surprising since I saw them eating their own waffles!

We walked around one of the most beautiful town squares that I have seen yet. The gothic tower of the town hall is quite captivating. There is a bright charm to the whole area. Brussels if known as the administrative city for all of the EU countries. You can see official looking buildings around. Very impressive! Although we didn't have too much time in Brussels, we concluded that it was a really beautiful, clean city that would be worth coming back for. Our next destination was Amsterdam. We boarded the train, and arrived in the late evening. After checking into our hostel, we immediately ditched our things for a long walk through the red lights. As expected it is had lots of lights, and women of all shapes and sizes in the windows surveying their potential clientele. I felt kind of bad for them as everyone was walking around leering, but I guess they're used to that! All of them are free agents who rent their windows for around 800 euros per shift depending on location. I guess they make a pretty penny!

The next day we decided to join a free walking tour around the city, where the tour guides make a living solely on tips, and are therefore highly motivated. We really lucked out, because our tour guide was excellent. An American who fell in love with Amsterdam, his knowledge of the city was impressive and his manner of speaking was easy to follow. He showed us around the Old Church, the Red light district, the Royal Palace, the widest bridge and narrowest house, and the Jewish Quarter. It was so great going to all these places with an expert guide, who gave us little tidbits that we would not know otherwise. Such as Amsterdam being the only city during the Second World War to stand up against the Nazis. Also the reason the Jewish area is the only modern part of the city because that winter was so cold, that people looted the empty houses for anything to burn. It was so cold that up to 8 families were living together so as not to find anyone frozen to death in their apartment.

We also passed some famous “Coffee shops” in Amsterdam, one famous one in particular that was featured in Ocean’s twelve. He also told us about the pee guards set up in the corner of buildings so that tourists don’t pee in the corner. For those unfortunate enough to try it, they receive a golden shower! The city is rich with culture and color and is more than just a place to get high. Many locals get annoyed with their reputation. We also went through the Anne Frank House (again for me) and enjoyed the well laid out museum and what it represented. Very humbling and informative.

We left Amsterdam that night for the horrid city of Rotterdam that we never officially gave a chance to. It started with the 120 bed dorm and went downhill from there. We felt like we were in a homeless shelter! I am sure the city had some plusses, but we never took the time to find them.


We then took a train into Cologne for some much need R&R. We were so happy to be in a “home” like atmosphere at the apartment of our friend Elisa (who stayed with Nina and I through HC two years ago). We arrived to dinner and drinks late on Friday night. Then we headed out on the town to see what “Carnival week” in Cologne is all about. Similar to mardi-gras, this pre lent event is a huge hit with the whole city! Everyone, young and old, and dogs too are dressed in costume from cross-dressers to Pippi Longstocking. What a superb city! We enjoyed a few drinks at a night club, sans costume, except Joe who was wearing the communist big black hat that I bought for him in Prague. He was a hit. “Ruskie”? everyone kept asking him!

The next few days were spent shopping, walking, enjoying those delicious thick fries with lotsa mayo and ambiance overload. We did get a look of the outside of the infamous Cologne Cathedral. Unfortunately the major tourist attractions were closed, as were many stores due to the carnival. People here really take their partying seriously. One such day we spent three hours watching a parade of tractors and homemade parade vehicles, orchestras, children, all throwing out hordes of goodies. Nina, Joe and I decided to get serious and began aggressively trying to catch the candies. We got quite the stash. Mars bars, toffee, taffy, more chocolate, soap, a big box of chocolates, lollipops. Everyone was so drunk that they were all having a good time. One group of adults had three kegs that their kids and friends were mooching. The atmosphere of camaraderie and excitement filled the streets. We ended our afternoon with some delicious schwarma and clubbing at 3pm in the afternoon. I have never been to a night club when you can see slats of sun peeking through the windows!

All in all we loved the beauty, the booze and the company in Cologne. So much fun, I would definitely return for carnival. Party!!!

The next day Joe, Nina and I split ways with Nina heading back to Turkey to visit a friend and Joe and I heading home. As you read this Nina is enjoying vacationing on the coast of Turkey with Ahmet, while Joe and I are enjoying the ambiance of the fabulous city of Vancouver! We will all be meeting again in the city made famous by The Sound of Music, Salzburg on March 11 to finish our European travels!!

Granada, Mezquita & Madrid, Spain‏

We were sad to leave Marrakesh after an exciting few days, but happy to be back in Spain. Leaving Morocco went pretty smoothly, except the song "I will always love you" by Whitney Houston played repeatedly for about 45 minutes while we waited to check in. We landed in Madrid, and immediately took an overnight bus to Granada, in southern Spain. We found our hostel, and after struggling to speak in broken English and Spanish, we discovered that the hostel manager was fluent in French! So much easier to communicate!

The city, which looked more like a quaint village, was really beautiful. The people were so friendly and sweet, pointing and shouting in Spanish to help us find our way. We couldn´t understand them, but it was helpful. The mountains surrounded the town, and we climbed up to the top to see the Alhambra, a Moorish (Islamic) Palace built in 1338-1390, and which just happens to be another wonder on our list! The grounds were really beautiful. There were many ponds, orange trees, flowers and hedges surrounding the Palace. Inside we viewed room after room lavishly decorated in Islamic art. There were also several towers you could climb for a stunning view of the city. Almost all the houses looked the same, painted in a very bright white. A nice contrast from the lush green trees surrounding them. It was much better than we expected and we were continually overwhelmed with the ornate carvings and art of each room.

We spent the rest of the day walking around the city, enjoying lunch in the Plaza Espagne and watching the city go by. Very peaceful and quiet. We walked through the tourist areas and noticed a large quantity of Moroccan products being sold at a marked up price! We found the cathedral and walked up another mountain to our hostel stopping at a local hangout to watch the sunset.

The next day we took a day trip to Cordoba, to see the Mezquita de Cordoba which to this day still operates as a church AND a mosque. The architecture of the mosque is so unique. Great big arches and pillars of red and white stripes line the ceiling. It is so unique though with the center of the Mosque being run as a Cathedral, dating back to the early 16th century. You can definitely tell which part is which. Many elaborate statues and art adorn the interior. It is the biggest church\mosque that I have ever been in.We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the tiny Synagogue, the beautiful orange gardens surrounding the Mezquita, the old bridge and the Arab baths. Really interesting descriptions and pictures still remain within the baths. You can almost imagine yourself as being part of the empire. It was really interesting to hear all about the rich and powerful who subsequently also were murdered in the baths for being just that!

We headed back to Granada via bus and roamed around the city eating delicious schwarma for dinner. We somehow ended up in the hippy district with dread locks and drunken looking youths. We spent a quiet evening and then walked 40 minutes, with all of our luggage (like crazy people, which people said we were!) to the train station to catch our overnight bus to Madrid. Nina met a girl from Morocco who she spoke French with into the early hours of the morning. She gave me some insight on how Moroccan's live, and some of the issues that need to be worked on in order to become more modern. She said that the people beg for money only because the tourists actually give it to them! That they figure it's and easy way to make some cash. Unfortunately, the children 10 years and up, have started using that money to get high on gas. She said it was a big problem, and that she would never give them any money.

Once in Madrid we found our beautiful hostel and got ourselves situated. We walked down into the Gothic quarter and enjoyed a lovely day of shopping. Great to be here for the winter sales!! We enjoyed the architecture and the Spanish flair that surrounded the city. Actually it reminded us very much of Vancouver with the long narrow streets and XXX stores. It looked just like Granville Street.

We relaxed in the Plaza de Mayo which had surprisingly beautiful buildings with color nice style. We relaxed in the sun while musicians played and people in costume waited to take your money. We also saw two female police officers on duty with the tightest spandex pants. I can imagine not too many men resisting arrest!! We have really enjoyed the beauty of Spain and will definitely return one day.

Marrakesh, Morocco

We left Rome Ciampino on our cheap flight to Madrid, hoping all would go well. We were not pleased to discover my sleeping bag had fallen off my pack and was MIA. The baggage people were rude and unhelpful, giving unwanted info instead of calling the other airport. I guess that´s what happens for paying $40 for your flight! Needless to say, it has not been returned :( Thankfully it had been used 25+ times on the journey already! We had a five hour layover in Madrid, before flying on so we took the metro into town and dined on paella, a cheeseburger and pizza. There was a sign in the restaurant warning that professional pick pockets worked there!! More than once, we've been told of the number of thieves in this city. Beautiful city though, which we hope to see more of in a few days!

Our flight to Marrakesh, Morocco was enjoyable as was our haggling with the local taxi driver in French. Nina and I are so pleased to be using the language we learned in school. Surprising how it comes in handy. For the life of us we couldn´t find our Riad (concrete house with no roof over the middle) in the dark. We finally allowed the group of young boys that were FOLLOWING us around for twenty minutes to take us there. We gave them a euro and a half for a five minute walk and they complained for more money. Nice introduction! The owner greeted us in true Muslim hospitality with mint tea and a briefing. He took us to our room which we immediately fell in love with. Lavishly decorated in Moroccan style with pictures and lights as well as a window looking inward to the center of the house. There are two rooftop terraces to relax on.

The next day we set out to discover the city after a lovely breakfast of bread and Moroccan pancakes, which aren´t really pancakes at all but pastry cooked with honey. We found the square with all the brightly adorned shops of lights, shoes, purses, scarves, pictures, mirrors, jewelry etc. The shop owners are crazy too, "I give you good price", shouting at you as you pass. "Lovely jublee" and "wow, you lucky, two wives!" One guy even called out to Joe, "Hey Tarzan whatcha looking for?!!!" They all loved his beard and called him Ali Baba. We had a good laugh.

Our wanderings took us to the famous Majorelle gardens just outside the walls of the city center. Beautiful flowers and plants from five continents of the world, mixed with unusual bird sightings and typical Moroccan style buildings in bright blue and yellow. Unbelievably stunning. The rest of the day was spent shopping and enjoying the ambiance of this small yet winding city full of surprises. We found this little square and all around us they were selling baby turtles and chameleons, smaller than your palm. I said we couldn´t take them home and the man insisted I could just take one in a cigarette box onto the plane. Very humane.

A rest landed us into the evening and we set out for dinner in the square. At night they put up lots of tents and lights, and have a sort of tourist smorgasbord of little restaurants. They are very aggressive and shove menus in your face, if you don´t look they call you "s**t tourist," so delightful! We chose number 12 and enjoyed scrumptious kebabs, couscous, salad of many veggies, bread and olives. Most of the restaurants are the same menu and are all enjoyable. Really it's the ambiance that makes it so special.

We rose early for our trip to the Atlas Mountains. It began with a stop to a typical Moroccan home in the "suburbs," where the affluent, house a cow under their home. If you don't you're considered poor. Fresh milk would be great, but oh the stench. We also saw their outdoor shower for washing up in the front yard. It looks like a little brick teepee, and they light a fire underneath for hot water. We have decided against putting one in our front yard! The woman showed us how to properly make mint tea and bread. Very enlightening and beautiful since the house overlooks a local village. We enjoyed fresh honey with our bread (yum), fresh strong olive oil and fresh homemade butter that was grainy. The next step of the way took us on a camel ride of a beautiful hillside. This was Joe´s first time on a camel, but Tarzan was brave!

We made our way further up the mountains until we reached a small village, and from there we hiked up to see the falls. Very beautiful and the hike up was exhilarating. We Canadians, as usual, were in the lead. We had one overweight girl slowing us down and I chose to accompany her back the same way we came so the rest of the group could climb higher and see the whole view of the valley. We dined at an outdoor restaurant with traditional Moroccan food overlooking the mountains. Did I mention it is 26 degrees here?! The day ended us back to the Riad for relaxing and another dinner in the square, compliments of Bonnie, before shopping and bed.

I must describe the atmosphere in the square at night. Very hectic with live shows and people trying to sell you things. Live bands playing Moroccan music. Men luring pythons from inside their jars. Some man threw a monkey on my shoulder and wanted money to take a picture. I wanted the dirty animal off me. They think we want pictures of everything and will PAY for them. Some drunk guy threw a baby kitten on me (that I was looking at) and asked if I wanted a picture. The kitten was crying profusely and the mother was not happy. Very sad the way they treat the animals. Dogs and cats littering the streets looking mangy and sick. I wanted to rescue all of them. Such an interesting culture. The next day we enjoyed sleeping in, sunbathing on the patio and enjoying this wonderful country. We also visited a palace which is no longer inhabited, but is still in very good condition.

We got two of the Riad maids to take us to the local Hammam, a bath where Moroccan´s go to scrub down with black soap, a scrub brush, henna for your hair and a body mud mask. Women and men are separate and most people wear only their underwear. You are placed in a hot steaming room during this procedure and generally women scrub themselves and their children. It is preferable to get a friend to scrub your back. We enjoyed the experience immensely, although it was a bit weird and not altogether clean the way we would have preferred. You can go to a tourist hammam, but they cost three times as much and are not very authentic, but at least you’re worried about catching a disease!

After exploring the city and buying way too many cool things in the souk, it was time to leave. Out of all the third world countries we've been to, this has been the best. The sanitary levels are much higher here, most likely due to the heavy French and Spanish influence. But that said, it is still a third world country and the differences do not go unnoticed. The men still leer and shout things out, and there were MANY people begging for money. Still the ambiance far outweighed any negatives and we would all gladly return.